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Negroni classico in a rocks glass with large ice cube, orange peel garnish, and deep red Campari color on marble

Negroni Classico: The Original Three-Ingredient Italian Aperitivo

A classic Negroni stirred to order with gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth in equal parts, served over a large ice cube with an expressed orange peel.
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Prep Time 3 minutes
Total Time 3 minutes
Servings: 1 cocktail
Calories: 170
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 30 ml gin (London Dry style, such as Tanqueray or Beefeater) 1 oz
  • 30 ml Campari 1 oz
  • 30 ml sweet red vermouth (such as Carpano Antica or Martini Rosso) 1 oz
  • 1 piece large ice cube for serving glass
  • 1 cup standard ice cubes for stirring in mixing glass
  • 1 piece orange peel strip from a navel or blood orange, about 5 cm long

Method
 

  1. Fill your mixing glass two-thirds full with standard ice cubes.
  2. Measure 30 ml gin, 30 ml Campari, and 30 ml sweet vermouth using a jigger and pour all three into the mixing glass.
  3. Insert a bar spoon and stir in smooth, continuous circles for 30 seconds, until the outside of the mixing glass feels cold and slightly frosty.
  4. Place one large ice cube in a rocks glass.
  5. Strain the cocktail through a julep or Hawthorne strainer into the rocks glass over the large ice cube.
  6. Cut a wide strip of orange peel about 5 cm long. Hold it skin-side down over the glass and press sharply to express the oils onto the surface of the drink.
  7. Run the peel around the rim of the glass, then drop it in or balance it on the ice cube. Serve immediately.

Notes

A proper Negroni is always stirred, never shaken - shaking aerates the drink and makes it cloudy, which changes both the texture and the way the bitter notes land on the palate.